All About Breakfast

by Ryan Andrews

Why is breakfast so important?

One of the top contenders for “worst nutrition cliché” has got to be: “Always eat breakfast.” Lame.

If someone takes the aforementioned advice and stockpiles donuts, sausage biscuits, Go-Gurts, and/or Pop-Tarts for breakfast – they’re way off. They’d probably be better off passing on meal #1 and hoping the PN fairy grants them good sense by the time lunch rolls around.

However, when we venture to the land of “nutritious breakfasts” – over time, we might notice:

Less body fat

Less chronic, non-communicable disease

Improved learning/retention

Improved mood

Better food choices later in the day

Improved energy

Muscle preservation

Increased strength

Lower cholesterol

Improved bowel movements

Balanced blood sugars

Translation: A nutritious breakfast is probably a good idea.

Step 1: Eat Go-Gurt; Step 2: Put on 3-D glasses; Step 3: Watch body get fat and unhealthy. You can really see that belly coming right out of the mirror at you!

What you should know about breakfast

But what are healthy people eating for breakfast? Isn’t that the type of meal we should be mimicking? Well, certainly they’re not noshing the Denny’s Grand Slam or mom’s timeless scrapple recipe.

Breakfast is a near disaster in North America as many people base their selection on convenience and stimulation rather than nutrition and how they feel afterwards.

In America, the average adult spends 32 minutes each day on food prep and clean up. Divide that by 3 meals, and it means about 10.7 minutes are dedicated to breakfast. Worse yet, the average college male will dedicate less than 7 minutes to the first meal of the day. (And it’s often cold pizza from a box he found on the beer-bottle-littered floor.) That’s barely enough time to microwave a “Bagel-ful.”

If you only have 3 minutes to heat up a Bagel-ful, and can’t quite squeeze in 4 minutes to make a Super Shake from Gourmet Nutrition, you might need to clear your schedule.

Gourmet Nutrition Super Shake

You’ll find that most of the meals healthy people are eating require more than a few minutes (unless it’s prepared ahead of time). Accept it.

If you’re too busy to eat a nutritious breakfast, you’re too busy to be lean and healthy. And while some people intentionally skip breakfast to drop body fat, it doesn’t seem to work in the long run, as those who skip are up to 5 times more likely to be obese than those who make it a daily habit.

Nearly 90% of Americans acknowledge that breakfast is a good idea, still, about half don’t eat it.

And of those eating it, what are they choosing? When I last checked, sales for the fast-food breakfast market reached about $31 billion in 2005, so I’m guessing that people aren’t choosing healthy stuff.

When people eat breakfast at home, the most popular items include:

Ready to eat cereals

Cow’s milk

Coffee

When people eat breakfast away from home, the most popular items include:

Eggs

Bacon

Sausage

Pastries

Coffee

Bagels

Who usually skips meal #1 altogether in North America?

Those between the ages of 12 and 29

African Americans

Low income families

What are healthy people eating for breakfast?

At PN we’ve long encouraged “thinking outside of the donut box” for breakfast. You’ll see that the healthiest nations do too. Developing breakfast habits might be critical, as nearly half of the people that eat breakfast each day claim that their choice is driven by routine.

We’ll highlight some of the healthiest nations and what they choose for breakfast. Among them are the leanest, longest lived, least depressed, lowest cancer rates, lowest heart disease rates and best digestive health. As you read thorough the options, notice similarities and differences, then consider how your choices compare.

Keep in mind that some of the breakfast meals we outline below would be slightly different depending on the region of the country, income, traditions, etc. Still, it gives you an idea what people are eating in other, healthier parts of the world for breakfast.

Extra credit

What about AM exercise – should you do it before or after breakfast?

Remember that body composition depends on overall energy balance. The difference between fasted and non-fasted exercise is likely small, assuming nutrition is dialed in the remainder of the day. Focus on exercising when you feel the best and will have the most productive workout.